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Roman Catholicism Vs. Biblical Christianity  

The major difference between Christianity and Roman Catholicism is that "true" Christianity is a relationship and Catholicism is a religion. Christian apologist Josh McDowell writes in his best-selling book More Than a Carpenter, "Christianity is not a religion. Religion is humans trying to work their way to God through good works. Christianity is God coming to men and women through Jesus Christ."  Good works can never save; it's only through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ that we are saved! Titus 3:5 says 'He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy.'


                              So what is  Biblical Christianity? It is the Bible alone and in its entirety. To say it another way,
                              it is the Bible, the whole Bible, and nothing but the Bible. During the reformation it was, sola
                              scriptura. So, why are there so many brands of Christianity? Why are there so many denominations
                              all claiming to be Bible believing Christians? The answer unfortunately is a simple one. Not all
                              Christianity is Biblical Christianity. The degree to which a church or denomination is seen to be 
                              biblical is entirely dependant on the degree to which it adheres to the underlying authority of the 
                              Bible alone and in its entirety.(truechristianforum.com)
 
During the Protestant Reformation it was the Five Solas. True believers in Christ would still hold to these essentials of the faith today.
                                     
                               The Five solas are five Latin phrases that emerged during the Protestant Reformation and
                               summarize the Reformers' basic theological beliefs in contradistinction to the teaching of the
                               Roman Catholic Church of the day. The Latin word sola means 'alone' or 'only' in English.
                               The five solas articulated five fundamental beliefs of the Protestant Reformation, pillars which
                               the Reformers believed to be essentials of the Christian life and practice. All five implicitly
                               rejected or countered the teachings of the then-dominant Catholic Church, which had in the
                               reformers' mind usurped divine attributes or qualities for the Church and its hierarchy, especially
                               its head, the pope.

                               Sola scriptura ("by scripture alone")
                               Sola fide ("by faith alone")
                               Sola gratia ("by grace alone")
                               Solus Christus or Solo Christo ("Christ alone" or "through Christ alone")
                               Soli Deo gloria ("glory to God alone")
                               (Copy source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Five_solas)

See: 5 REASONS WHY CATHOLIC IS NOT CHRISTIAN              Also see: Noise of Thunder Radio with Chris Pinto:  ROMANISM    I    THE REFORMATION
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Roman Catholicism maintains that church tradition is equal to what scripture says (Catechism pages 80,82,97). The problem is that many of the Catholic church's traditions are sadly, pagan in origin. Simply put, Roman Catholicism is the blending of Christianity with paganism. When Constantine became the emperor of Rome, he made Christianity the official religion, but in order to appease the pagan people of the day, the Catholic church adopted many of the pagan practices and superstitious beliefs, 'Christianized' them and eventually they became Catholic church doctrine. The majority of these doctrines have not improved over time, some have changed, but never to be aligned with scripture. And since the leader of the Roman Catholic church, the Pope speaks ex cathedra (literally 'from the chair'), he is deemed infallible in all matters of doctrine (Catechism page 891), whether it contradicts scripture or not.  The Catholic Catechism is where much of these erroneous doctrines are maintained. The Catholic Catechism is taught in every Catholic church today and Roman Catholics are encouraged to read and study it. The Catholic church defends their traditions (though they would not consider them pagan in origin) by stating that they have been doing it that way for hundreds, even thousands of years. Well if something was wrong a hundred or even a thousand years ago, it's still wrong today. No amount of time is going to correct it.



 The following is excerpted from The Plain Truth about the Roman Catholic Church at Bible Baptist Publications
 A brief history of the Roman Catholic Church:

                                           The Roman Catholic Church claims to have started in Matthew 16:18 when Christ supposedly appointed
                                           Peter as the first Pope. However, the honest and objective student of the Scriptures and history soon discovers
                                           that the foundation of the Roman church is none other than the pagan mystery religion of ancient Babylon.

                                           While enduring the early persecutions of the Roman government (65-300 A.D.), most of professing Christianity
                                           went through a gradual departure from New Testament doctrine concerning church government, worship and
                                           practice. Local churches ceased to be autonomous by giving way to the control of "bishops" ruling over
                                           hierarchies. The simple form of worship from the heart was replaced with the rituals and splendor of paganism.
                                           Ministers became "priests," and pagans became "Christians" by simply being sprinkled with water. This
                                           tolerance of an unregenerate membership only made things worse. SPRINKLED PAGANISM is about the best
                                           definition for Roman Catholicism.

                                            The Roman Emperor Constantine established himself as the head of the church around 313 A.D., which made
                                            this new "Christianity" the official religion of the Roman Empire. The first actual Pope in Rome was probably Leo I
                                            (440-461 A.D.), although some claim that Gregory I was the first (590-604 A.D.). This ungodly system eventually
                                            ushered in the darkest period of history known to man, properly known as the "Dark Ages" (500-1500 A.D.).
                                            Through popes, bishops, and priests, Satan ruled Europe, and Biblical Christianity became illegal. 
                                            (Source: http://www.biblebelievers.com/jmelton/Catholic.html)

                                                            
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Are Catholics Christians?
If they adhere to the teachings of the Catholic church then they are not, because the Catholic church teaches that you are not saved by faith alone, but have to keep the sacraments in order to be saved (Catechism pages 1815, 980, and 1129). If a Catholic gets saved (born-again), it is usually not as a result of the teachings of the Catholic church (actually many Catholics are put off by the terms saved and born-again). It's usually the result of reading the Bible (as simple as that sounds - there is power in the word) or having heard the gospel at a Bible church or via a street evangelist, or some other Christian event. Some Catholics get saved by reading a gospel tract, a Christian family member or friend sharing with them or Christian media (radio, television, internet, etc.). Whatever the means, it's ultimately God drawing the individual to Himself by the Holy Spirit. Christian apologist and former Catholic Phil Fernandes PhD. says that he would venture to say that less than 5% of Roman Catholics actually have saving faith in Jesus Christ. It's important to note that if a Catholic does come to a saving faith in Jesus Christ, then by definition they are no longer Catholic. Because to be Catholic is to identify with the Catholic church and it's teachings which are antithetical to the Bible and contrary to the way of salvation that Jesus Himself and the apostles proclaimed.

The Catholic church does not teach you how to come into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, never even mention it. It's always - believe in God and keep the sacraments. They want to make it so that you have to keep coming back to the Catholic church in order to keep your salvation, but even then they say that you can not be sure of it. Nonetheless, God always finds a way to reach Catholics, in the same way He reaches most Muslims, Mormons, and Jehovah Witnesses or any other false religious system, through His word, the power of the gospel and the Holy Spirit. That's why it's so important as Christians that we tell others about Christ and how to recieve His forgiveness and everlasting life! (Also see: Are Roman Catholics Christian? by Matt Slick of CARM)
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SALVATION: The Catholic church maintains that one must keep the seven sacraments (Catechism page 1210): baptism, confirmation, eucharist, penance, extreme unction, holy orders, matrimony (five of which it created; the Bible only mentions two but never even uses the word sacrament) in order for salvation (Catechism pages 1127-1129). But even then the Catholic church states that you can not be sure. They even go as far to declare a curse against someone who would announce that they are certain of their salvation and that they know they are going to heaven when they die (Council of Trent). The Catholic church teaches that you have to die in a 'state of grace' in order to go to heaven and avoid purgatory. Catholics need to have a priest perform what is commonly referred to as the 'last rites' and make one good last confession in order that the priest may forgive their sins and assure that they die in a state of grace, but even the Catholic church says that one cannot be sure of one's state of grace (Catechism page 2005), as one can only hope for the grace of final perserverance (Catechism page 2016).

As I mentioned before, the Catholic church maintains that you have to keep seven sacraments in order for salvation, but the Bible only mentions two sacraments (actually the word ordinances is preferred within Biblical Christianity which points to the ordaining authority of Christ given to all believers): baptism and communion (the Lord's supper), but these are not required for salvation. The Catholic church distorts even these two (I will discuss communion in the next section). It teaches and believes in infant baptism and that this does away with original sin (Catechism pages 1267-1272). But only adult baptisms were ever mentioned in the Bible and baptism did not cleanse you of sin as the Catholic church proclaims. Think about it, if this were true then Adolf Hitler who was baptised as an infant is in heaven right now or at worst purgatory! One has to ask the question, 'Why doesn't every baby just get baptised when they are born and no one will ever have to go to hell?' Also if baptism were necessary for salvation, then the thief on the cross next to Jesus had a serious problem, because he could not come down and be baptized before he died. But Jesus did say to him because of his faith, 'I tell you this day, you will be with me in paradise.' (Luke 23:43)

The Bible teaches that believers can be sure of their eternal security. John 3:16 states 'For God so loved the world the he gave his one and only son, that whoever believes in him [Jesus] shall not perish but have eternal life.' It would not be eternal life if you could lose it. The moment you repent of your sins and recieve Jesus as Savior and Lord, he comes to live inside you. God says in Hebrews 13:15 ' I will never leave you, nor forsake you.' Salvation is not based on anything we do; it's all about what Jesus has done for us! He is the author and finisher of our faith. He also said that no one can take those who rightfully belong to him from him.  (John 10:27-30) [Jesus speaking] 'My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand.My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father's hand.I and the Father are one.'

The Roman Catholic church believes that only members of the Catholic church can be saved, that anyone outside the Catholic church is not saved* (Catechism page 846). Basically all protestants are hopeless and without salvation unless they come back to the Catholic church (Catechism page 846, Pope Leo XII (1821-1829) and the syllabus of errors). But the Bible teaches that salvation is not in a building or an institution, but in a man, the God-man, Christ Jesus! (Acts 4:12) Ironically, the Catholic Catechism states that Muslims will go to heaven though. It states that they will be first of the religions that believe in one God (Catechism page 841). Catholics believe in purgatory (Catechism page 1031) and that if you are not quite good enough to get into heaven, you can do some time in purgatory, and hopefully with the prayers of others (Catechism page 1032) get out and move onto heaven. But the Bible makes no mention of purgatory, it is a Catholic invention and the God of the Bible forbids prayers to the dead. The Bible teaches that you either go to heaven or hell when you die. The decision to follow Jesus Christ has to be made while you are still alive. It is too late once you are dead, your fate has been sealed!

*Since Vatican II, the Church of Rome has become more universalistic, but I believe that it is only an effort to bring more people into the fold under the authority of Rome.

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Communion:
And as far as communion goes, the Catholic church states the priest actually has the power to turn the wine and the bread into Christ's blood and body (transubstantiation: Catechism pages 1337, 1375, 1376, 1413). But forensic science has proven this false. When tested, the supposed blood and body of Jesus were nothing more than wine and bread. (ref: video documentary 'Catholicism: Crisis of Faith' ) If it were proven to be true, then communion as done by the Catholic church would turn into some kind of gross and pagan feast, because then you would be drinking blood and eating skin. Even worse, you would be eating God and drinking His blood! God condemned the drinking of blood in the Old Testament. We read in Leviticus that God ordained blood sacrifice as an atonement for sin but that the drinking of blood was forbidden. God's children were never to drink blood as the pagans did in their rituals.

"10And whatsoever man there be of the house of Israel, or of the strangers that sojourn among you, that eateth any manner of blood; I will even set my face against that soul that eateth blood, and will cut him off from among his people.  11For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul.  12Therefore I said unto the children of Israel, No soul of you shall eat blood, neither shall any stranger that sojourneth among you eat blood. 13And whatsoever man there be of the children of Israel, or of the strangers that sojourn among you, which hunteth and catcheth any beast or fowl that may be eaten; he shall even pour out the blood thereof, and cover it with dust. 14For it is the life of all flesh; the blood of it is for the life thereof: therefore I said unto the children of Israel, Ye shall eat the blood of no manner of flesh: for the life of all flesh is the blood thereof: whosoever eateth it shall be cut off." (Leviticus 17:10-14)

The Council of Trent, Session 12 states that 'If anyone denies that in the sacrament of the most holy Eucharist the body and blood, together with the soul and divinity, of our Lord Jesus Christ and, therefore, the whole Christ is truly, really and substantially contained, but says that he is in it only in a sign or figure...anathema sit' (which means 'let him be accursed'). Basically, if you don't believe that you are eating Jesus Christ's actual body and drinking His actual blood then according to the Roman
Catholic Church, you are cursed! Communion (biblically speaking) was only meant to be symbols of Christ's blood and body and to be done in remembrance of His sacrifice.  But the Bible never says that these two sacraments are necessary for salvation; rather it teaches that it is by grace alone, through faith alone that we are saved and it is not of works, lest any man should boast (see 8 Reasons Why We Can't Work Our Way To Heaven).

See: CATHOLIC EUCHARISTIC FLASH MOB at Noise of Thunder Radio with Chris Pinto

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Church tradition:
There is nothing wrong with church tradition until it violates what scripture says. And even though the Catholic Catechism states that tradition is equal to scripture, upon further inspection, we see that tradition usually wins out. They commonly practice traditions that are contrary to the word of God. By choosing to honor man-made traditions over what the Holy Bible says, they are in fact dishonoring the same God that they are trying to worship. You have to ask yourself the question, 'If the rituals that I am involved are displeasing to God, then what is the point of my religion?' It's futile. Moreover you are actually heaping condemnation upon yourself by not worshiping God in the proper way. In the account of Cain and Abel (Adam and Eve's two sons - Genesis 4), Abel's offering was acceptable but Cain's was not. Apparently both Cain and Abel knew what God expected as the 'right' offering. Both Cain and God knew that he had given an unacceptable offering and so God refused Cain's offering. One can assume then that there is a wrong way and a right way to worship a Holy God. In Genesis 4:7 God says to Cain 'If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door.' As a result Cain became angry and killed his brother Abel. So what is the right way? Jesus says in John 4:24'God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.'  What does this mean though?

                                       First of all, God is spirit which means He is invisible. We must not worship an image or statue, only the invisible God.
                                       Worship is characterized by two things.:
                                       1) It is in spirit or from the heart, in other words it is sincere.
                                       2) It is in truth, that is it is according to the dictates of the Word of God, which is the TRUTH (John 17:17).

(Taken from: What does it mean to worship in spirit and truth? - Author: Mike Scott)

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The Catholic Mass
The Catholic mass is the ongoing unbloody sacrifice of Jesus Christ (Catechism pages 1367, 1382, and 1383). The Catholic Catechism states that “The Mass is the source of and summit of the Christian life.” Cardinal Ratzinger, now Pope Benedict said, “The Mass is the sum and substance of our faith.” Of all the sacraments, the Mass is the most important. The Catholic church claims that this is necessary for redemption (Catechism page 1364) and also states this sacrifice is offered for the souls in purgatory (Catechism 1371). But we read in (John 19:28-30) After This, knowing that all was now completed, and so that the Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, 'I am thirsty.' A jar full of sour wine was standing there; so they put a sponge full of the sour wine upon a branch of hyssop and brought it up to His mouth.  When he had received the drink, Jesus said, 'It is finished.' With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. There is nothing that we can do to add to Christ's sacrifice on the cross. His work is sufficient! It's an offense to God the Father for us to think that somehow His Son's sacrifice wasn't enough!

The writer of Hebrews states in chapter 7 verses 26-28 speaking of Jesus Christ, 'Such a high priest meets our need—one who is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens. Unlike the other high priests, he does not need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for his own sins, and then for the sins of the people. He sacrificed for their sins once for all when he offered himself. For the law appoints as high priests men who are weak; but the oath, which came after the law, appointed the Son, who has been made perfect forever.' John MacArthur says, 'The operative word is once, one sacrifice. There is no need for daily offering of sacrifices.'


In his message Explaining the Heresy of the Catholic Mass part 1, pastor, teacher, author, and Bible commentator John MacArthur states that if the priest performs the Catholic Mass wrong, or with a wrong attitude, then it’s null and void. He quotes Pope Pius IV: 'If there is a defect in any of these, namely the due matter, the form with intention or the sacerdotal order of the celebrant, it nullifies the sacrament.' MacArthur adds, 'The efficiency of all of this when it’s all said and done depends upon the priest’s intention. If he doesn’t have the right intention, it doesn’t work.' He quotes the Council of Trent, “If anyone shall say that intention at least of doing what the Church does is not required in ministers while performing and administering the Sacraments, let him be anathema.” And since we don't know the intentions of someone's heart, the Catholic parishioner may not recieve redemption and their loved ones may have to remain in purgatory. Sad, but true according to the Roman Catholic Church.
 
John MacArthur also submits:
                 Roman Catholic theology teaches that a person can attend a thousand Masses and still leave this life not fully purified and go into
                 Purgatory and have another thousand Masses read in their behalf and still not be fully purified because their attitude isn’t pure and
                 the attitude of the priest isn’t pure either. What a horrible trap, absolutely horrible trap. Mystical mumbo-jumbo right out of the pit to
                 take captive the souls of people.

The Council of Trent states that the sacrifice of the Mass is properly offered for sins, punishments, satisfaction and other necessities, not just for living people but dead ones. And if anyone says that the Mass is not an actual sacrifice and that it is not necessary, then they are damned and let them be anathema!
 
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Praying to Mary and the saints
Praying to Mary and the saints is idolatry and is offensive to God. The Bible says that God is a jealous God (the 2nd commandment) and that He will not share His glory with another or give His praise to idols! (Isaiah 42:8) When Catholics pray the Rosary, for every Glory Be to the Father, there are ten Hail Marys! The Catholic church teaches that saints are intercessors (Catechism page 828) and that Mary is a mediatrix (Catechism page 969). But the Bible says that Jesus is the only mediator between God and man (1 Timothy 2:5) and that all Christians are saints (1 Corinthians 1:2, Romans 1:7, Ephesians 1:1, Colossians 1:2, 1 Corinthians 16:1, and Hebrews 13:24).  The Catholic church promotes statues of saints that people kneel down and pray before (Catechism page 1161). God says in Exodus 20:4 'Do not erect a statue or likeness of anyone in heaven or earth as an idol.'
 
John MacArthur states in his message 'Exposing the Idolatry of Mary Worship: Catholic Dogma, Pt. 2'  regarding the doctrine of Mary '...none of which, by the way, is found of Scripture. And the Church of Rome acknowledges that to be so but that does not matter.'

                 In the case of the Roman Catholic Church, they have created a false goddess who has blasphemously been given the name of
                 'the Mother of Jesus, Mary' but who has absolutely nothing to do with her.  The Roman Catholic Church leads the world in pagan
                 goddess worship, blasphemous idolatry pretending to be Christianity. In Catholicism it is the false goddess named Mary through
                 whom all graces, all blessings, all divine works pass to people.  No one can be saved, no one can be blessed unless Mary
                 intercedes. She is presented as all-knowing, all-wise, all-merciful, everywhere present and all-powerful, attributes which belong
                 only to God.
                  
                 All of these have come, or will come by Papal decree—they have nothing to do with the Bible.
                 Perpetual Virginity of Mary, that doctrine in the Catholic Church, that she was a virgin until she died.
                 Immaculate Conception, that she also was bornby the Holy Ghost without a man.
                 The doctrine of the Assumption of Mary, that she ascended into heaven without death. 
                 The doctrine of Mary as co-Redemptrix, and co-Mediatrix, that she in partnership with Jesus Christ is redeemer and mediator.
                  -- John MacArthur
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Priests
Priests are commonly referred to as father, but in Matthew 23:9 it says,'And call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven.'
In the Old Testament only the high priest could go into the Holy of Holies and he would then intercede on behalf of the people. But when Jesus died the veil was torn in two, a symbol that man no longer has to go through a priest. Now, Christians have direct access to God. The Bible says in 1 Peter 2:9 that all believers are priests - ' But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.' therefore we have no need for another human to intercede on our behalf. We can go directly to God ourselves.

The Catholic church states that confession must be made to a priest who forgives sin (Catechism 1442, 1461) and that only a Catholic priest can absolve sins (Catechism 1495). The Bible teaches that no one can forgive sins but God (Mark 2:7, Isaiah 43:25) and that we are to confess our sins to Jesus, who promises forgiveness (Psalm 32:5, Matthew 9:6, 1 John 1:9).

In the Roman Catholic Church, celibacy is a prerequisite for ordination to the priesthood. 
                                    The candidate must freely assume this obligation publicly and for life. Celibacy, however, was not always a requirement
                                    for ordination. In biblical Judaism, being married and producing offspring was an expectation.  The apostle Peter, for
                                    example, had a mother-in-law (Luke 4:38), and Paul's instructions regarding overseers and deacons included marriage
                                    'Now the overseer must be above reproach, the husband of but one wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable,
                                    hospitable, able to teach...' (1 Timothy 2). [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clerical_celibacy_(Catholic_Church) ]

                                    Throughout the first centuries of Christianity, clergy continued to get married, though marriage was not required. It was
                                    not until the turn of the first millennium that the church started to canonically regulate clerical marriage and in 1075 Pope
                                    Gregory VII issued a decree effectively barring married priests from ministry, a discipline formalized by the First Lateran 
                                    Council in 1123. Since then celibacy has been required of all Roman Catholic priests.
                                    [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clerical_celibacy_(Catholic_Church) ]

I believe this 'forced' vow of celibacy is one of the main reasons why children are being sexually abused by priests in the Catholic church. The apostle Paul himself says in 1 Corinthians 7:9 'But if they do not have self-control, let them marry; for it is better to marry than to burn with passion [lust or sexual desire].' (see John MacArthur's Bible commentary on 1 Cor 7: Self Control, Passion, and Marriage) So many children throughout the Catholic church's history have been sexually abused by priests. There has been an effort by the Catholic church to silence anyone who would speak out (see the 1962 Secret Church Document:Crimen Sollicitationis).  The priesthood has almost been like a safe haven for pedophiles, maybe even attracting some pedophiles to the priesthood. Jesus said, '... whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea.' (Matthew 18:6)
                                                                               
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Holy relics: 'In Christianity, relics are the material remains of a deceased saint or martyr and objects closely associated with those remains. Relics can be entire skeletons, but more usually they consist of a part such as a bone, hair or tooth. Pieces of clothing worn by the deceased saint or even an object that has come in contact with a relic is also considered a relic...' 'Until 1969, relics were placed under the altar stones of all Roman Catholic churches. The veneration of relics was rejected by most of the Protestant Reformers and most Protestants today...' 'The veneration of relics was not explicitly practiced in the Christian Bible...' To assume that a material object has some supernatural power is superstitious and to then venerate it as a 'holy relic' is actually idolatry. It takes the focus off God and instead puts it on some object. The focus should always be on Christ, not some holy relic that has no real power anyways.[*]

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The garments: 'Roman Catholic clerical vestments and adornments are almost entirely of ancient secular origin. The Church before the age of Constantine knew no distinction between secular and religious dress.' The Roman Catholic church created the garments to be seen as ones having authority and to increase the esteem of the the liturgy. '...the growth of the authority of the clergy both within and without the Church, the increasing esteem for the liturgy and its progressive development...'
(*Defin. of holy relics and garments taken from Religionfacts.com. I cited articles 'Relics in Christianity' and 'Ecclesiastical Vestments: What Priests and Bishops Wear ')
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Prayers for the dead : (See 'What does the Bible say about praying to / speaking to the dead?' at gotquestions.org)
Roman Catholics pray for their loved ones who are deceased in order that their souls might be released from purgatory. Praying to the dead is strictly forbidden in the Bible. Deuteronomy 18:11 states that anyone who “consults with the dead” is “detestable to the Lord.” Prayers for the dead - if not forbidden by God, is simply an act of futility. Gotquestions.org answers the issue like this:

               Even after a person dies, God is still involved with that person and his destination. Hebrews 9:27says so:
               “…Man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment.” If a person dies in Christ, he goes to
                heaven to be present with the Lord (2 Corinthians 5:1-9, especially verse 8); if a person dies in his sin,
                he goes to hell, and eventually everyone in hell will be thrown into the lake of fire (Revelation 20:14-15).

Purgatory is a Catholic invention and not at all biblical (see explanation of the Catholic Mass above). Therefore, someone who has died is in one of two places: 1) in heaven in the presence of the Lord or 2) in hell awaiting the final judgement!

See article: Purgatory: Purifying Fire or Fatal Fable by Mike Gendron (http://www.pro-gospel.org/)

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A Final Word to my Catholic readers: (excerpted from Steve Camp's article titled "WORLDLY SAINTS...being salt and light in a pagan society")

                                             [The Apostle] Paul says here, "But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared, He saved us,
                                             not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration
                                             and renewing by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified
                                             by His grace we would be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

                                             This is one of the richest passages of our great salvation we have in Christ Jesus our Lord found anywhere in all of Scripture.
                                             Notice the banner of our salvation surmised in three key words: He saved us… This again is cause for great humility. We
                                             couldn't save ourselves not [even] on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness. Our best works, our best
                                             religious works are filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6) sufficient only to damn us to hell, but save us? Never! This is the nail in the coffin
                                             of Romanism-of any good works/human achievement system of obtaining favor with God. All our good works, even religious
                                             ones, are nothing but rubbish, human excrement compared to knowing Christ Jesus as Lord of our lives by grace through
                                             faith alone (cp, Phil. 3:1-8). We were only saved according to His mercy (not our works); by the washing and renewing of the
                                             Holy Spirit (not by our merits plus grace or our works plus faith); through Jesus Christ our Savior (not through a surrogate
                                             Christ in the Roman Church; or Mary; or Papal infallibility); justified by His grace (not through infused righteousness of works,
                                             but through the imputed righteousness of Christ alone) made heirs according to the hope of eternal life (not through the
                                             suffering in purgatory to be purged of our sins and then maybe one day will be made good enough to enter glory). We have
                                             hope beloved, eternal hope, in the Lord alone!  -- Steve Camp

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(Note: All references to the Catholic Catechism are from the audio book ' Biblical Answers to Catholic Questions by William Ciofani ' and is available at the Harvest Bible Chapel Bookstore (Rolling Meadows, IL.)

Also See:  37 Roman Catholic Doctrines at Chick Publications and Roman Catholicism Compared To Biblical Christianity written and compiled by Barbara Wilhelm

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We are motivated by LOVE.
We who believe that the Roman Catholic church is steeped in pagan idolatry are in no way against the Catholic individual. We love the people and care for them and want them to know the difference between practicing a religion and actually having a personal relationship with God through His Son, Jesus Christ. What we are against is the institution itself, the Roman Catholic church and her leaders, because they are leading people straight to hell! Most people who attend Catholic church are not even aware that what they are being taught is contrary to what the word of God says. I'm not saying that they are off the hook, because despite what the world says, ignorance will not be an excuse when standing before almighty God. However, the hierarchy in the Catholic church (the Pope, bishops, cardinals, priests, etc.) - if they are honest with themselves, know that what the Catholic church teaches does not line up with scripture and as a result, will be held to a higher standard come judgement day. James 3:1 says 'Not many of you should presume to be teachers, my brothers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly.' They are going to have to give an account for all the people they led astray!

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R.C. SPROUL - IMPUTED VS. INFUSED RIGHTEOUSNESS

Listen to Wretched Radio: Imputed vs Infused - an important distinction I The Importance of Imputation
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Q&A with John MacArthur: Does Water Baptism Save?
Is Infant Baptism Biblical? - John MacArthur (Grace To You)
Believer's Baptism - John MacArthur (Grace To You)

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Search The Scriptures Daily radio program:
Dave Hunt and T.A. McMahon of the Berean Call discuss the Catholic practice of praying to 'saints' and Mary.

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Listen to this testimony - Keeping God at arm’s length – Cathy’s Story
Cathy grew up thinking the Bible was simply too difficult for the average person to truly understand. That confusion kept God at arm’s length. What would it take to make a breakthrough to Cathy’s heart? Discover how the patient love of others brought out the simplicity and richness of the Scriptures that led Cathy to Christ. (Description copied from Words To Live By)
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I am a Catholic, why should I consider becoming a Christian?
Is salvation by faith alone, or by faith plus works?
Faith, Works, and Why James and Paul Agree by Dr. Randy White ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
       Last Rites Gospel Tract by Chick Publications        I        Former Catholics Ministry:  Ex Catholics

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SEE: CATHOLICISM: ADDITIONAL RESOURCES